Soon, Indians Can Expect Chip-Based E-Passports, Says PM Modi 

The Union government is working on a centralised chip-based e-passport system where all passport services will be provided at Indian embassies and consulates, Economic Times quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying.

"Indian embassies and consulates are connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide," Modi said yesterday (22 January), while addressing a gathering at the inaugural ceremony of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2019 in Varanasi.

Modi also said the government was working on simplification of visa processing for PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders.

The government hopes to see that Indians are happy and safe wherever they live across the globe, he added. Over 200,000 Indians stranded in crises abroad had been helped by the government in the last four-and-a-half years, he affirmed.

Yesterday (22 January), Modi inaugurated the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas convention in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi. A three-day-long convention is being organised from 21 to 23 January to allow participants to witness the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.